There are many ways to monetize a blog. One of them is to create and sell an eBook.
This is a strategy many bloggers successfully use to generate a full-time income. Unfortunately some miss the boat on this income stream.
Bloggers often make excuses for why they can’t write an eBook. Ultimately these limit the profit potential of a site. Today I’ll talk about eleven of these excuses and show why they’re completely untrue:
Excuse #1: I don’t have time
We all are given the same twenty-four hours every day. Some people maximize this time; while others are unable to accomplish the simplest of tasks.
I propose a simple solution. Set aside a half hour each day to work on your eBook. Preferably, do this first thing in the morning – Before starting your day.
This is a technique I implemented back in January. Every morning I’d wake up and immediately write for an hour. The result is I’ve (almost) completed an 80,000 word eBook.
Don’t underestimate how much you can accomplish with consistent effort. Write a little bit each day and you’ll have an eBook in no time!
Excuse #2: I don’t have the expertise
I’m not going to lie to you. A lack of knowledge is a legitimate reason for not writing an eBook. But it’s still an excuse. As a blogger, it’s your job to become an authority on a topic. If you don’t know something – Learn more about it!
Furthermore, I guarantee you’ve established connections with a few experts. You could create a product by interviewing these people. Just ask them for their secrets to success and you’ll have an information product.
Also, you could create a regular interview series with these experts. This is what David Deangelo (Eben Pagan) did with his dating business. By the way…this interview series is part of an 8-figure income model.
Excuse #3: My writing sucks
This is an area where I personally struggle. I don’t think I’m the greatest writer. But this doesn’t prevent me from creating an eBook.
One trick I use is to write in short, punchy sentences. Like this one. It’s actually pretty easy to write instructive text when you break it down into small bits.
Another trick is to pick up a copy of “The Copywriter’s Handbook” by Robert Bly. This book is a great place to learn how to communicate in a clear, concise manner. My copy is always nearby whenever I write.
Excuse #4: I can’t think of a topic
Your blog has an audience, right? I’m sure you’ve posted articles that get a large response. Look at these comments and see what questions you commonly get. Perhaps these will lead to the next eBook idea.
Take the top three questions and set up a poll; asking people which topic they’d like to learn. Then pare it down till you pick one; tightly focused information product.
Excuse #5: I don’t know what to include
As a blogger, you’ve grown accustomed to giving away free content. So it’s hard to know what paid information to include.
So here’s a four-step plan for creating a premium product:
- Including all the blog posts that are relevant to this topic.
- Research any gaps in information.
- Tie the sections together; turning them into a step-by-step blueprint.
- Include images and graphics that demonstrate core concepts.
Voila. That’s an eBook!
Don’t get hung up on what to include. Just think about what information you’d find useful and start from there.
Excuse #6: I can’t write a large product
An eBook doesn’t have to be a massive “how-to” guide. In fact, you’ll often get more sales by creating a small, tightly focused report.
Example – As a blogger, I bet you’d be more interested in a small report titled, “How to Double Your Blog Comments in One Week” then a large eBook like “Blogging 101.” Both are in the same niche. But the first targets a very specific topic we all would like to learn.
You must know (at least) one problem that people encounter in your niche. All you have to do is offer a step-by-step plan that fixes it. That’s a winning eBook strategy!
Excuse #7: It won’t make money
Don’t underestimate your audience. You’d be surprised at their willingness to pay for your expertise; especially if you regularly provide great content.
Also, leverage the power of your peer group. When you offer a great product and a 75% affiliate commission; people will line up to promote it. This is THE best strategy to quickly make eBook income.
Excuse #8: People won’t like it
This is another valid concern; but it’s still an excuse. It’s actually not that hard to create a great eBook. Simply ask people what problems they face and provide a solution.
And if you get a lot of negative feedback? Then fix the damn thing! Ask customers what they didn’t like and improve these areas.
Excuse #9: I don’t know how to sell it
It’s become super easy to sell information products. You don’t need a credit card processer or merchant account. In fact, all that’s required is a small monetary investment of less than $100.
My advice is to use the E-Junkie or Clickbank websites. Both offer a very simple solution for selling an eBook. Even technophobes (like me) can figure them out.
Excuse #10: I can’t create images
People need pictures to make buying decisions. This doesn’t mean you have to create them yourself. Use a site like Rentacoder.com or Elance.com to hire a professional graphic designer. You’ll be amazed at the quality and professionalism of the freelancers on these sites.
Excuse #11: I don’t know how to get started
This is the biggest excuse of them all. Hopefully this article gave you some ideas. It’s really not that hard to complete an eBook. Here is a quick action plan:
- Figure out what topics are interesting to your readers.
- Set up a poll and determine which product they want most.
- Ask for specific obstacles and challenges they face.
- Create a rough draft; including all posts you’ve written on this subject.
- Fill in the rest with blueprints, examples, and personal anecdotes.
- Edit and polish till the eBook is a step-by-step blueprint.
- Set up a payment process through Clickbank or E-Junkie.
- Offer the eBook to your readers.
It’s not that hard to create an awesome eBook. I just gave the exact process that I follow. This is how I created an eBook that’s been profitable since 2008. And it’s the same blueprint I’m using for the product I’ll launch in July. So I KNOW it works!
Don’t let excuses get in the way of your success. At the end of the day, that’s all they really are – Excuses.
You do have the ability to create a profitable eBook. All it takes is motivation and a game plan. You now have the blueprint. So get to it!
Steve Scott runs a site that helps people achieve the Internet Lifestyle. Specifically, he’s giving away a copy of his report; How to Create a Profit-Pulling eBook Empire in 2011. This is being offered with no opt-in or email required. So go grab your copy right now.
Woo hoo. Guest post by Steve. Nice one Bran
As I am meant to be getting my ebook together (one of my goals for 2011) this is a really helpful post for me.
And now there are definitely NO excuses to get it together. Thanks Steve. You are a great motivator.
Patricia Perth Australia
Most times you just have to get off your back side and make it happen..don’t be a procrastinator..
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Antonio,
You are absolutely right. Excuses are just a way of forgiving yourself that you do not get it done.
Person A may have more time and/or ability than person B. But that is no reason person B should decide to not undertake things that could benefit him.
-S
Patricia!
Glad for finding me her and congratulations on being the first comment.
You are always so good at getting in quick on these things!
I am glad you are hard at work getting that eBook together. I am sure that it will be awsome. I look forward to it!
Lately I have not been hard at work at it as have another project on the go.
But I like your suggestion of setting aside half an hour each day. That sure is do-able, rather than thinking I have to produce tons of articles in one sitting!
I actually enjoy researching and writing and you have inspired me to get down to it again. Thanks
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia,
“Limiting” my ebook writing to that hour a day block is part of the reason it seems this ebook is taking forever.
But I love the steady strain method. I think your results are much better this way too!
I am glad you are inspired to put a little time back to it regularly. As I am sure all the EBook readers will be when it comes out
Excellent post. I’m usually not a procrastinator but I admit it has been particularly challenging for me to be action-oriented in converting blog posts into an eBook. This is great motivation to get it done. Thanks!
Thanks Janet,
Glad you liked it and i hope it does give you a little bit of good inspiration.
Have a great day!
-S
Steve,
It looks pretty simple when you look at it this way. For one thing I do have a lot of information that is already written that could be turned into an eBook.
I know that the books I have purchased have been very helpful in getting my business running. And I have purchased some for fun.
Do you have a preference between eJunkie and Clickbank?
Shiela,
Many people would be surprised at the amount of stuff they have on their sites that can be readily turned into an ebook.
As Brankica mentioned in the “bio” I am giving away a free ebook right now. (not even a list add…though I hope people will)
This ebook came old articles tied together into a cohesive whole. It did not take long to put together and I still think it has a ton of valuable content.
I am not saying this to brag, my point is that a lot of bloggers likely have this. If you have enough to write even bi weekly posts on your blog for a long time, it is a sure thing you have enough to make a quality EBook. no question about it.
——-
As for the clickbank/ejunkie question. Personally I have always been a clickbank guy, Likely just because it is what I have always used and what I am comfortable with.
I have heard some great things about ejunkie. It sounds like it is “as good” as a system, but I have seen no reason to stop using CB, to really try it out.
So I guess my answer almost is… It doesn’t matter. Use one and get used to it. Personally I chose CB, but I cannot say there is a distinct “quality” difference to back up that decision.
I really need to set aside a half an hour each morning to work on my ebook. My mornings tend to be the best time of day and too often I waste those precious hours or minutes (depending on my schedule) answering emails.
Thanks for the reminder!
Stacy
Stacy,
That is something I struggle with too. But in reverse. For me the Ebook writing comes first and sometimes it is the personal stuff (email replies, Twitter, facebook updates etc.) that gets pushed.
It is all about setting those priorities and knowing where yours are.
BTW, There is nothing wrong with the personal stuff… I need to (and am) getting better at it, but if you put a high enough priority on it…it will get done.
Brankica,
That’s so wonderful. And you simply speak the mind of every procrastinating blogger. Oh and I am not in the list, happily. I am just working on my ebook. When I had the idea to write an ebook I made the outline and started writing.
I luckily had a couple of days off without internet and that’s the best part. I finished almost 60% of the book. That was pure writing.
And then I emailed my list telling them what the book will be and what will be included. I asked them their suggestion on anything they want to include in the book. I promised to add those who reply to a lucky draw where the winner will get my ebook for free.
I got amazing responses. I am now working on the wish list. Great experience by the way
Jane.
Jane,
Great point about getting offline. When I take my hour to write the ebook each day. I turn off the phone and disconnect from the internet.
It is surprising how much more effective you can be without distractions.
Your use of pre-selling your ebook is another great marketing tool. Building anticipation is a great way to get people pumped to read it.
After all, the content may be great (hopefully) but you still need to convince people to fork over their hard-earned cash, and a lot of that comes through marketing.
Steve
Pre-selling is also a great way of motivating yourself. If you have a bunch of buyers waiting for publication date, that’s a sure fire motivation to get the seat of your trousers into the seat of your pants and get writing.
Plus the other side is that if NO-ONE buys at pre-sell stage you can reassess the eBook and maybe pick another topic (it’s pretty disheartening to write an eBook that no-one wants).
Paul
What an awesome point about pre-selling, Paul! Thanks for that!
Hey Steve (and Brankica)!
I appreciate that you not only said that anyone can write an e-book, but you outlined the steps explaining how to make it happen. I have been considering writing one but I’m don’t have quite all the material just yet. I’m going to be writing about getting to a certain point in my business that I feel others in my niche would find helpful to get there as well. The journey is not completed, so I haven’t started writing. This post made me realize that I should still set aside time each day to make ongoing notes and outlines. Thanks!
Alicia,
I see your point. A Journey is A->B->C.
You wouldn’t want to write about what it takes to be A getting to B, until you are at B working toward C.
That being said you can start writing about what you are doing while at A. Then when you reach B. You have material that is written by someone who really understands the journey ahead but edited by someone who knows the pitfalls and traps that a person could face.
In many ways taking that time to create your notes and outlines. Perhaps even making it into more than that to be edited later could make a very interesting and unique POV that a person starting at A looking up that mountain to B could really relate with.
Hopefully that is clear. I think I got a little caught up with the A>B>C analogy.
Hi Steve!
I understood your point exactly. Thanks for the tips!
For a second there I thought maybe you read my mind, with the exception of 6, 7 and 8 you had me pegged. All sad excuses I’ve used in my efforts to not write an e-book, I get asked all the time if I’m going to do one and even would like to, but just can’t get it there.
John (or should I call you Extreme
)
We all make excuses from time-to-time. I can’t say I have not heard myself utter a few of these every now and then.
If you want to get it done you have to make it a priority. If someone had a check for 10K $ to hand out for a completed eBook, most people would blow through the excuses and get it done.
It would become a priority.
Frankly the amount of $$ you make has more to do with marketing than quality.
But that being said, there is potential to make money from an eBook and there are lots of ways (down the road) to re-purpose one.
In other words…make it a priority! A year from now you may be glad you did. Perhaps not 10K glad, but glad the same.
Thanks Steve. I will say I am a lot closer now then I ever have been before, I’m at the stage now where, you’re right… I need to make it a priority and actually DO IT.
Hi guys,
I can totally feel related to the fact that making up excuses it’s easier than to actually create something profitable like writing an eBook.
On the other hand, I have a couple of questions regarding ClickBank to manage our own products:
1. I’m aware you need to pay an initial US $50.00 fee for your first CB product, how much will I have to pay for each following product afterwards?
2. I’m planning to create a few more products, do I need to create more than one CB account for each product? How does that works?
Sorry to ask you that specific question about CB but I find their FAQ not that useful for these matters.
Thanks in advance and congratulations on this post, it really makes procrastinators like me think about our wasted time!
~Sergio
Sergio,
First of all my answers -could- be a little dated. I haven’t put a product on the CB marketplace in over a year. I am -going to- put a new on there soon, but it has been a while.
I do believe this is still the same though.
1. The fee is a per product basis. The reason for this is mainly because they have a “real” person verify everything to ensure fewer chances for any mishaps after they “go live”.
I also think the “per product” charge keeps out the riff-raff. Other wise you would get people who would just paper clickbank with products, hoping to “get lucky”
-that is 100% my opinion. though, no facts there-
2. You CAN have more than 1 product per account.
-But chances are you would not want to. -
There is no limit as to how many products you can have under 1 account. YOU DO, however, have to use the same hoplink URL. IN other words send them to the same place.
If you had two “cat” products this might work. YOu could send them to a link with a few “cat” products on it. But for a “dog” product and a “cat” product this would never work.
But I think it is easier *and probably better* just to make a unique account and link for each.
Plus this is better for tracking purposes. It is my opinion that properly tracking your endeavors is also a key to success.
I hope that clears up your questions Sergio!
-S
Rocking answer, thank you Steve!
I think when it comes to #2, some people underestimate the expertise they do have. Someone may not be an expert, but they have enough knowledge that they could teach a beginner what’s what on a particular topic. The key is just to make sure your description of the eBook says that it is for beginners only – that way you will be targeted the right audience and not getting dinged by reviewers as being too “basic” or uninformative.
Kristi,
You make a great point. If you market clearly to the right group you do not need to be “expert” level to teach.
In fact being an Intermediate level knowledge puts you closer to the beginner subject. It is far easier to “put yourself in their shoes”.
As an intermediate you remember the questions, complaints, and hard time the beginner had first hand in the way that someone who has been at it for years could never understand.
As you stated the important part is to be clear in your marketing method. If experts buy your tips and find just a “newbie guide” they may be more than a little upset.
There’s a corollory to this – and that is that most experts have ‘forgotten’ what steps they took when they were beginners.
In the bass guitar market there are guys out there who toast me on the bass, but who I toast when it comes to TEACHING.
Few people who write ‘how-to’ eBooks ever spend any time researching the best way to present a ‘how-to’ book – so in just about any niche if you research THAT, you’ll be ahead of most of your competitors.
I agree 100%. Expert doesn’t make an expert teacher!
I have written an ebook but don’t have the courage to put it up for sale. I can’t even call this a good excuse. It’s just fear.
NO reason to be scared! At least put it out there as a lead magnet!
Steve Scott in the house!! Steve, what a great read for anyone who has ever even considered writing an ebook but has been held up by the billions of doubts that come across the mind with such a project.
You’re a great teacher brother and I’m excited for your new ebook.
Marcus
Thanks Marcus,
Looking forward to getting that King Kong sized monkey off my back too!
These tips are just great and really make me want to write my own eBook – well, maybe not just now but at some stage I’d like to. I like how you say that we each have the same 24hrs – this is so true and we just need to learn to schedule our lives well.
Certainly Gabriella,
If writing an EBook is something you desire (and something every blogger SHOULD desire at some point) you certainly should get out there and give it a shot sometime soon!
You’ve nailed the most common objectives totally – the objections around topic, market, will people buy…are the most common we hear for sure.
The best recommendation is to get involved and listen to your market – learn to tune in to frustrations, questions, desires, clues to other books or information sources they may like (or dislike), books that are ranking well on directories such as Amazon…etc
The internet offers us all the amazing opportunity to get inside the heads of our market – and turn those questions and desires into books, ebooks or courses which will lead to in-demand projects for sure.
Great piece.
Jeff
Jeff,
Great point! In general the internet does offer amazing opportunities for those willing to get out there and really work hard to get them.
-G
Another reason could be “I have nothing new to write about” or “I dont want to re hash contents”.
How many blogging books do we need? How many affiliate marketing courses do we need?
Every course on the topic of IM is simple re hashed contents. Very few people are able to bring out value even in these niches. That’s because they have a wealth of experience.
Adarsh,
We need (insert Dr. Evil laugh) 1 Billlliiiiioooonn EBooks
I get your point. In some places, “yet another” EBook can be like beating a dead horse.
There does need to be more than “rehashed content”
But I would make a counter argument, that if a blogger has enough to say to have a blog, they have enough to say to have an ebook.
Let’s face it some BLOGS are nothing but rehashed and recycled material. In these cases there shouldn’t be an ebook -and- there shouldn’t be a blog.
I am just giving everyone the benefit of the doubt that they have some form of originality and create something that is at least from a unique perspective.
Just my 2 cents…
Thanks for bringing in an strong counter argument, you make a good point
It’s true. I was talking about those “re hash” only blogs.
Have you been to the Warrior Forum lately? Check out the WSO. Most are re hashed contents.
And your point holds true in some evergreen niches like health, finance etc.
People wont be satisfied with trillions of diet books or make money online books
Steve
Great post for people – you and I are on the same page when it comes to eBooks. I’ve tweeted this out – and will tweet it out again later – but people need to realize what they can do with eBooks and stop sitting on the fence and just get down and do it.
Paul
Absolutely,
There is nothing to fear except fear itself.
Best case scenario, you have a great selling product to anchor all your efforts around. Worst case scenario, you have something of value to use in many-many different ways.
This post shows that writer has analyzed the behaviors of bloggers as student.But each blogger take the problem in its own way.
Hello Brankica and Steve, very true information in this post, my opinion is that one day it just dawns on you and once you start writing the first few days, it becomes natural right after that. As long as there is enough information worthy to be shared or simply presented in a way that it can be of value to others because ok, many different authors write about the same subject but each one offers different value for each one.
I also believe that excuses are only for the non-determined to succeed entrepreneurs. In order to create value you have to spend enough time gathering resources and evaluate resources that will give you the material you need that will provide value. This means that an amount of time of each one’s daily schedule must be “sacrificed” and be withdrawn from other activities that may be “having fun” or “spending time with your significant other” etc.
That’s a tough one but it needs to be dealt with. There are no excuses for highly determined people. It’s simply a matter of what our priorities are and how badly we want things to happen and of course how hard we work for those.
Thank you both
Yup,
I never claimed it was easy…just important
(though it can be ‘easy’ if a blogger has a large collection of tightly related source material)
Like the Nike commercial, “Just do it” should be the motto for this. If someone has something to say enough to blog a couple of times a week, then they should have enought to say for a few eBooks.
I know I have about 14-15 ebooks “In” me. the problem is just getting them “out” of me
There’s no excuse for procastination
If you keep doing nothing, your result will remains nothing for decades. A great post for those who always blame for destiny or life. Thank you, Steve 
Regards,
Tho Huynh
Amazing Steve, I should say all the excuses you pointed out makes so much sense. Generally speaking, I think most of the time we either make excuses if not we doubt ourselves. Time factor is always the no.1 excuse, then comes, whether we’ll be able to do it? and even if we can whether people will like it or not? I believe bloggers who run successful blogs can write an ebook. A blogger cannot run a blog without being blessed with a flair in writing so bloggers should attempt writing ebooks as well.
Hi Steve, it’s all about getting started, right? I just locked myself up for a weekend and finished my e-book. Text, layout, images and all. And god knows, I’m not a designer
Anyone can do this really. Key is not to get intimidated by the ‘big players’ and A-list bloggers. They once were where lots of us are right know, so the only thing stopping us from growing our blog into a strong, thriving community is ourselves.
Thanks for the motivation,
Wim
Genius! This is what I needed! Thank you! So … here goes …. you don’t mention how I can extend the hours in the day though …. I’m almost out of excuses so have bookmarked this and will use it to kick my butt every day!
@MummyinProvence I sure wish I knew how to extend time too
Hi. Thanks for the article. I pretty much gave up writing because I had gotten rejected so many times by traditional publishers, but then thought, what the hell, Ill just put up a short story and see what happens. Guess what, I’ve sold about 40 copies of each of after just a month. So just give it a shot! BUT take the time to edit, edit, edit! spell check and if you find mistakes later, fix them and resubmit. Take the time to make it a good reading experience for your readers.
I’d also like to add that once you have written your ebooks, don’t forget that about 14% of ebook purchasers buy ebooks by the cover, and another 11% buy ebooks because of the title! You can make a huge difference in how your ebook is accepted or ignored by how you present it. If you’ve taken a lot of time and effort into writing your ebook, you should make sure it has the title and cover that it deserves if you want people to buy it or be interested enough to read it. I put up really simple cover images for my books when I first published them just to get em up and I sold one or two a week. Then I put up proper cover images I took time to design and I immediately began selling more than 10 times more books per week.
Cheers!
Tres